A's notebook: Scott Kazmir takes different route to success

PHOENIX -- With the A's playing the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, there was no way Scott Kazmir was going to pitch.

Kazmir, even while being a former Angel (2009-11), is something of an unknown quantity for them, given that he seldom pitched well while he was there (11-17, 5.31 ERA). A's manager Bob Melvin never wants to tip his hand to team in the American League West, meaning the less the Angels see Kazmir this spring, the happier the skipper will be.

So it was that Kazmir threw against a collection of A's hitters, including his former Angels teammate Alberto Callaspo, in a simulated game. Kazmir had mostly lost his mid-90s fastball while with the Angels, but he seems to have found it again.

"To me, his fastball was his best pitch," pitching coach Curt Young said. "I was impressed with the location he had with all his pitches. His fastball had a lot of carry to it."

Kazmir threw everything he had -- fastball, changeup, curveball and slider. And while it will take actual game performance to judge him, the 30-year-old left-hander looked like the pitcher he was the second half of 2013 with the Cleveland Indians rather than the pitcher he was when he was with the Angels.

"He was throwing all of his pitches," Melvin said, "and the changeup really stood out. It looks as good as his fastball and slider."

Kazmir walked off the field at Phoenix Municipal Stadium well pleased with what he'd done to set up his first Cactus League game later this week. He threw three innings and a total of 46 pitches.

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"I felt good throwing most of my pitches," Kazmir said a few minutes after walking off the field. "When I got to two strikes, I was able to put the hitters away."

Kazmir said he likes to have his first "game" of the spring be a simulation because that's where he can work on specifics. He said once he gets into a game, when trying to get outs it's harder to polish his pitches and his mechanics.

On Sunday, he threw three sets of pitches, approximately 15 each time, then sat for 10 minutes before getting back on the mound, simulating the flow of a regular game.

He took some delight in being able to get Callaspo, a teammate from his Angels days who hit a ball off Kazmir's leg in an at-bat last year when Kazmir was throwing for Cleveland.

"Then I came back with a pitch high and in, and he went deep," Kazmir said, laughing.

Kazmir is likely to make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

John Jaso was in the original starting lineup to catch but pinch-hit in the sixth inning instead and stayed in the game as the D.H. He said he still "feels it" a little when he throws, thanks to being hit by a pitch above the right elbow Wednesday. Melvin said Jaso's elbow wasn't quite right, but Jaso should be behind the plate Tuesday when A's have two split-squad games.

Melvin said the split squads will see the debut of Yoenis Cespedes in left field for the first time this spring. It was Cespedes, someone Melvin doesn't want to rush this spring, who hit a two-run double in the fifth inning that pushed the A's lead to 3-0 on Sunday, just enough to secure the win for Oakland.

On that Cespedes double, Josh Donaldson, who had been on first, almost ran down Jed Lowrie, who scored from second. Afterward, Lowrie had some words for Brandon Moss, due up next, who wasn't in position to signal "stand" or "slide" on the play at the plate. Both men slid.

Jesse Chavez, making his second start of the spring, threw 2﻿2/3 impressive innings allowing one hit and no runs. He'll likely start pitching out of the bullpen now that Kazmir is due to start his next time out. "He can pitch like a starter or a reliever," Melvin said approvingly.

Closer Jim Johnson is in the midst of helping to organize an A's talent show, something his former team, the Baltimore Orioles, did from time to time. "It's mostly for the young guys," Johnson said, downplaying the event, scheduled for March 9 in the clubhouse and open to the team only. "We get to see each other out of our normal element. It's just a fun thing."

The A's were greeted Sunday morning by the sight of the back field at Phoenix Muni hosting a small convention of lakes thanks to Saturday's heavy rains. For Sunday, the club sent the hitters down the street to the minor league complex at Papago Park, and the team isn't sure when the back field at Muni will be ready to go. The batting cages adjacent to the field weren't affected much and were in use early Sunday.

A.J. Griffin pitches Monday in Phoenix Muni against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the split-squad games Tuesday, Tommy Milone and Dan Straily will get the starts.